Sunday, May 19, 2013

Peanut Butter Fingers

1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
2 eggs
1 tea Vanilla
1 tea Baking Soda
1/2 tea Salt
2 cups Oatmeal
2 cups Flour

Frosting
1 cube Butter
1/4 cup Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
3-4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tea vanilla
Milk

Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and eggs. Stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add Oatmeal and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Spread evenly over un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely and frost with chocolate frosting.

Frosting: Melt butter, add vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, and cocoa. Mix in milk until it is spreading consitency. Spread on cooled bars.

Potato Soup

4 cups Chicken Broth
4 cups Diced Potatoes
1/4 cup Minced Onion
1/2 tea Season Salt
1/4 tea White Pepper
1/4 tea Red Pepper
1 pkg Cream Cheese

Combine all ingredients except cream cheese. Cook until potatoes are tender mash up potatoes add cream cheese and mix well.

You make this loaded Potato Soup by topping with bacon, cheese, green onions and sour cream.

Chocolate Frosting

1 Stick Butter
4 TB Cocoa
1/3 cup Water
1 lb Powder Sugar

Bring butter, cocoa, and water to boil. With mixer add powder sugar until it is the consistency you want. If it is too thick you can add a little water and milk to thin it out.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

1 cup Butter
4 TB Cocoa
1 cup Water
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Buttermilk*
1 tea Baking Soda
1 tea Cinnamon
1 tea Vanilla
2 Beaten Eggs
Dash of Salt

Boil butter, cocoa, and water pour into mixing bowl. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add buttermilk, vanilla, and dry ingredients to the melted mixture begin to beat. Add eggs. Pour into a prepared half sheet cake pan. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  Frost with Chocolate frosting. I like to frost when still a little warm.
*If you do not have buttermilk you can add a little lemon juice to milk allow to sit for a few minutes.


Frog Eye Salad

1 C Sugar
1/2 tea Salt
2 TB Flour
4 Egg Yolks (beaten)
2 cans Pineapple (I like tidbits)
2 cans Crushed Pineapple
1 box Acini Pasta
16 oz Cool Whip
2 cans Tropical Fruit
Maraschino Cherries
Optional: Coconut, Mandarin Oranges, Marshmallows

Drain Pineapple saving 2 cups of juice, after getting juice I like to add all remaining canned fruit to let it drain overnight. In a sauce pan combine sugar, salt, flour, juice, and eggs. Cook on low heat until thickened. Cook pasta as per directions on package making sure you salt the water before cooking pasta. Once pasta cooled pour cooled sauce over and mix allow to chill overnight. Just before ready to eat add remaining ingredients and mix together.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 T Honey
5 T Lime Juice (about 1-2 Limes)
1 T Chili Powder
1/2 t Garlic Powder

1 Pound Cooked and Shredded Chicken (3-4 Chicken Breasts)
8-10 Flour Tortillas
2 1/2- 3 C Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
16 oz Green Enchilada Sauce
1 C Heavy Cream

Mix honey, lime, chili powder, and garlic together and toss with the shredded chicken. Marinate at least one hour, the longer yo can marinate the better. Pour about 1/2 c of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese and roll up placing in backing pan. Reserve 1 cup cheese to top enchiladas. Mix remaining enchilada sauce, heavy cream, and left over marinade together and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese over top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on top.

Thanks to Suzanne for this recipe!


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Peach Cobbler

2 cups Flour
1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 tea Salt
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 square Butter Cut-in
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
1 Bottle canned or 2 cans Peaches
1 T Flour
2 tea Cinnamon
Cinnamon and Sugar mixture

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder together cut in butter. Mix eggs and milk with dry ingredients. Place peaches in a 13x9 baking dish sprinkle flour and cinnamon and mix together. Drop by tablespoon dough mixture over the peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the topping clean. Serve warm with can milk or milk over cobbler.


Truly Easy Artisan Bread


***This is a recipe you need to make the night before to allow for the raising time. I usually put it together just before I go to bed. Literally takes less than 5 minutes


3 cups Flour
1 3/4 tea Salt
1/2 tea Yeast
1 1/2 cups Water
**Add ins for whatever flavor you want optional

For Basic with out add ins:
Whisk together flour, salt, and yeast then add water and mix mix together. Cover with plastic for 12-18 hours. Pre-heat oven to 450. While oven is preheating dump dough onto floured surface and shape into round ball cover with plastic from bowl.

Once oven is pre-heated place cast iron pot with lid into oven for 30 minutes. **If you do not have a cast iron pot with lid that is ok I use my Pampered Chef roast cooker with the lid, kind of comes out more oval but that is ok, you just need to make sure your pot can withstand the 450 degrees.

After pot is heated being careful as to not burn yourself remove lid and dump bread into pot cover and put back in the oven for 30 minutes *I like to reduce time by about 2 minutes*. After 30 minutes remove lid and cook for another 15 minutes*Again I like to reduce time by 2 minutes*.

Place bread on cooling rack to cool. You can wrap it in a hand towel. to store. You will want to use within a day as it does harden.

Add ins*
Place anything you are adding in after you have whisked the dry ingredients together then add water. Follow all other directions as written.

You can change this up to match the meal you are doing. Be creative post any you try and found you liked.  A few I have done are below
Rosemary, Garlic, Romano Cheese
Orange Zest, Cranberries, Slivered Almonds
Garlic, Italian Seasoning, Romano Cheese
Cheddar Cheese

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Thai Peanut Salad

Dressing:

1/2 c Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1/4 plus 2 T Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 T Honey
1 T plus 1 tea minced Ginger
1/4 tea Cayenne Pepper (more if you want it spicier)

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
1/2 head Cabbage
Bean Sprouts
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 c Chopped Green onions
Carrots

*Add shredded or chopped chicken for a meal that stands alone

**If you know my cooking I don't really measure just cut up as much as you need for the salad for your family :-)

Whisk together all ingredients for salad dressing and place in fridge until ready to use.

Cut up all ingredients for you salad and place in bowl. I like to julienne my carrots and bell pepper. When ready to eat toss salad with dressing and serve.



Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into thin slices or small chunks
Linguine or any size pasta you like
2-4 T Cajun Seasoning (the more you use the spicier)
1 T Butter
2 T Olive Oil
1 C Whipping Cream
3 C Milk
4 T Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1/2 c Chopped Green Onion
1/2 tea Salt
1 tea Dried Basil (Fresh Basil boosts the flavor)
1/2 tea Black Pepper
1/2 tea Garlic Powder (I like to use fresh)
1/4- 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
2-3 T Flour mixed with water to a smooth paste

Mix chicken and cajun seasoning in bowl. Heat pan and melt butter with olive oil. Add chicken to hot pan and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat add cream, milk, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, salt, basil, pepper, and garlic. Let sauce heat up and stir in flour mixture to thicken. Mix with pasta and top with parmesan cheese.

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

1 pound Ground Beef
1 Chopped Onion
2 1/2 C Salsa
1 15 oz can Black or Kidney Beans
1/4 c Italian Dressing
2 T Taco Seasoning
1 tea Cumin
6 Flour Tortillas
1 can Corn (Can use 1-2 c Frozen Corn)
3/4 c Sour Cream (I subbed with Greek Yogurt)
Mexican Cheese
1 Tomato
Cilantro
Lettuce

Brown hamburger with onion drain grease. Mix in salsa, beans, italian dressing, taco seasoning, cumin, corn, sour cream. Place a layer of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan add a layer of cheese and top with one layer of tortillas. Repeat as many times as needed ending with a good layer of cheese. Cover with foil and cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Garnish top with tomato, cilantro, and lettuce.

Goulash

2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 pound ground turkey or sausage
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
  • 2 cups dried elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups corn

Saute the ground beef and ground turkey over medium-high heat, until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; spoon off any grease. Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, House Seasoning, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, stir in corn, and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes more before serving.
**Paula Deen Food Network

Pumpkin Pancakes with Pumpkin Topping

1 1/4 c Flour
2 T Sugar
2 tea Baking Powder
1 tea Cinnamon
1/2 tea Ground Ginger
1/2 tea Salt
1/8 tea Nutmeg
1 pinch Ground Cloves
1 c Milk
1/3 c Pumpkin
2 T Melted Butter
1 Egg

Place all dry ingredients into bowl and whisk together. Mix together all wet ingredients and fold into dry ingredients. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Makes 8-10 pancakes.
*Martha Stewart Living Oct 2006

Topping
1- 1/12 c Heavy Whipping Cream
2-3 T Pumpkin
1/2 tea Cinnamon
1/2 tea Ground Ginger
2-3 T Powder Sugar
1/4 pkg Softened Cream Cheese 




Friday, August 24, 2012

Capellini Pomodoro

5 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 c Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper
2-3 T Olive Oil
3-4 Cloves Garlic crushed
2-4 T Butter
1/3-1/2 c White Wine
1 c Reserve Water from Pasta
Angel Hair Pasta
2-3 Chicken Breasts
Oregano

Dice tomatoes, I find it easiest to cut in half and spoon out all seeds and discard. In a bowl mix tomatoes, basil, 2 T olive oil, and salt, and pepper to taste. Heat pan add 1 T olive oil and garlic let cook 1 minute add wine and boil for 1-2 minutes add tomato mixture cook for 3-4 minutes. add butter. pour over cooked pasta adding 1/2-1 c water from the pasta will help sauce adhere.

Place chicken on cookie sheet drizzle olive oil over chicken sprinkle salt and oregano over chicken and cook in oven at 350 until cooked through being careful to not over cook as this will dry out the chicken.  Serve on top of pasta.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage
1/2 lb Smoked Bacon chopped small
1 qt Water
2 14.5 oz cans of Chicken Broth
2 large Russet Potatoes cubed
2 cloves Garlic
1 med Onion chopped
2 c Kale or Swiss Chard
1 c Heavy Whipping Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook sausage and bacon set aside. In a pot add broth, water, garlic, potatoes, and onion. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon and simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and cream to pot and salt and pepper to taste.